


Second Chances

by Splommy



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action & Romance, Car Sex, Eventual Romance, F/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Oral Sex, Romance, Semi-Public Sex, Sex, Sex Toys, Shower Sex, Slow Romance, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-01-23 16:56:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21323536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Splommy/pseuds/Splommy
Summary: It's been 10 years since Marinette an Luka last saw each other, and things ended on a very awkward note. Can they pick up where they left off, or is their relationship un-salvageable at this point?
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Comments: 19
Kudos: 114





	1. Marinette

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! I'm a new writer on here just made an account because I've been really getting into Lukanette fanfictions as of late and I've noticed there is a SEVERE LACK of Lukanette on the internet so I figured I would rectify that. I want to clarify this is going to be a very long read and a slow building romantic story since those are the ones I like to read the most. I took inspiration from a couple of works on this site, one being "My Heart Burns for you" by Alwayszutarian. I love their story and how long it is and how naturally the relationship blossoms, warning it isn't a miraculous fic it's based on Avatar the last airbender another amazing show. The other is "Delayed" by damagectrl, which is a very short read only one chapter but when I read it I NEEDED more. I loved the idea of them being older and getting a second chance at love, and I also took inspiration from one other part of the story I won't spoil here, just wanted to give them both the credit they deserve for inspiring this story which I hope you all will love! <3
> 
> Also, this story will contain sexual content eventually, I will put a warning over any chapters that include it so you can skip them if you'd like. 
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

Marinette was pacing around her room. It was just past 9 PM and she had been doing this for the past few hours. She would walk around her dorm room, then sit down and stare at her sketchpad, then get up and walk around some more and repeat, all while babbling to herself about stitching and embroidery. She was stressing out because she had just started her last year of IFA Paris, a highly sought after university for aspiring fashion artists. She had worked so hard to get into this prestigious school, entered so many fashion competitions held by Gabriel Agreste, poured her heart and soul into every piece she designed, and it paid off. She couldn’t be happier, or more stressed out. This last year she had to really give it her all, make a name for herself, even though she kind of already has. She’s known around campus as “Marinette the fashionista.” She always came out with banging designs for ever assignment and her fellow classmates were very impressed, and this was the school for all the great fashion artists in Paris, Gabriel Agreste studied here, so to impress these people was a huge deal. She had really made a good life for herself after high school, despite her frequent freak-out sessions. 

“Uuuuuugh!! Tikki, do you think this dress would look better with purple or gold stitching? What am I saying?? OF COURSE it needs green stitching!!” Marinette started scribbling furiously in her sketchbook to revise her drawing. Marinette lived in a dorm on campus with two other girls, but they were both out most nights, so she could talk to Tikki. They both got invited to a lot of campus parties, sometimes Marinette wouldn’t see one or the other for a few days. But they all got along fine, Marinette having that aura about her that radiates kindness and happiness that just makes people want to be her friend. 

“Marinette, you’ve gone over and changed your design 27 times already. You always make beautiful work, you don’t need to stress.” Tikki said trying to calm Marinette down. Tikki always knew the right thing to say. It reminded her of someone else she knew. She started to get lost in her thoughts, remembering her friend Luka, who she knew when she was in middle school. He was her friend Juleka’s older brother, and he was a grade above her and her friends and went to a different school. But despite that, they still managed to bump into each other from time to time, and it always seemed to be when Marinette was dealing with some inner turmoil. He always knew what to say or do, or not say or do to make her feel at ease, and like everything would be okay. 

She shook her head to get out of her thoughts and smiled thankfully at Tikki. “Thanks Tikki, you always know what’s best.” Tikki giggled and nuzzled up to Marinettes cheek. Marinette sighed and went to sit on her bed, only to fall back onto it in exhaustion. When you spend hours stressing and pacing around your room, it really takes it out of you. She closed her eyes and just lay there in silence, breathing slowly. After a few minutes she turned to lay on her side and grabbed her phone off her bedside table. She noticed she had some notifications on the social media app she and all her old friends were on. She tapped on the app to see what the notifications were and she saw a post from her best friend Alya.  
Hey y’all! Alya here! Everyone tagged in this photo is invited to the unofficial official school reunion in 2 weeks! Just text me for the details if you’re coming, and you better come! Love ya! 

Marinettes eyes widened to the point Tikki feared they might pop out of her sockets. A school reunion? In two weeks?! She had so much on her plate already! This year she had to completely dedicate herself and make it count or her time here would be for nothing. But she did really miss her friends. She stared at the picture Alya posted along with the announcement. It was a picture of her and all of her friends on Juleka and Luka’s mom’s boat, Liberty. Kitty Section, the band Luka created with his sister Juleka, her girlfriend Rose and Ivan, had just played their first flawless rehearsal and Alya had to keep a record of it. She had set her phone up against a guitar case and set a camera timer. It had us all in it. Juleka and Rose were to the far left, Rose nuzzling into Juleka’s hair. Luka was standing next to them, and I was standing next to Alya and Ivan who was with his girlfriend Mylene. It was such a great day, she remembered it like it was yesterday. She scrolled down to read some of the comments on the post. 

Rose: I’m so there! I’m so BORED of classes! I miss you guys! <3

Mylene: Me too! I’m so excited to see all of you again! 

The last comment was from Juleka, and what she said made Marinettes heart stop, and she didn’t know why.

Juleka: I’ll be there too, miss you guys a bunch. Also, Luka is coming too, he doesn’t have an account on here but I told him about it and he wants to come too. 

Luka was going to be there. Luka. A cold shiver went down her spine as some memories resurfaced. That day they confronted XY’s manager and father about stealing their ideas, the day Luka got akumatized… and confessed his love for her. She had to admit, she had been a little smitten at the time. No one had ever spoken to her like that before, let alone declared their love for her. But she only had eyes for one boy, and that boy was Adrien Agreste, son of Gabriel Agreste one of the most renowned fashion designers in Paris, and one of the most perfect boys on planet earth. So she thought. She was head over heels for Adrien and everyone knew it but him. She pined after him for years and was determined to be with him. So when Luka asked her on an official date a few weeks after his love declaration, she had to reject him. Even though he was smiling, she could see he was hurt, but he still wanted to be a good friend to her. He had smiled and said “That’s alright Marinette, but I hope I didn’t ruin our friendship. Your friendship means more to me than anything.” They continued to talk but it got more awkward ever since then. Then they both got busy, Marinette was starting high school and Luka was focusing on his music. They eventually drifted apart, and she always regretted it. She felt like a pretty lousy friend after that, but her guilt slipped away to make room for determination to succeed. She spent the rest of high school trying to get into IFA. 

She didn’t know what to think about the fact that Luka was going to be there. Could she face him? What if he still resented her for what she did to him? But it’s been 10 years, maybe he’s forgotten, or doesn’t care anymore. What if he doesn’t remember her at all? 

She cringed at the thought but took a deep breath and started typing. 

Marinette: Awesome! I’ll try to be there, I miss you guys so so much! <3

She shut off her phone and placed it on her chest as she lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Well, I’ll find out one way or another.


	2. Luka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are liking the story! These first two chapters are short and sweet and are here to set the scene and the plot. The coming chapters will be longer. Enjoy!

The crowd cheered and yelled and some threw flowers onto the stage. Luka would never get used to this, having fans. It was to be expected though. Throughout his years growing up, his friends always told him his music was great, and he wasn’t exactly full of himself but he knew that the harder he practiced and the more heart he put into every song, that hard work would come out and make great music, which is all he’s ever wanted to do. Ever since his uncle got him a guitar for Christmas when he was 12. It was his passion, and his fans could see that. The screams started to die down as Luka walked to the backstage area, and he saw a small line of fans holding backstage passes, who went a little crazy when they saw him. Luka was definitely the focus of the band, even though Anna was the lead singer. Everyone loves a sexy guitarist. 

Luka smiled warmly at them and started to walk over to them, which elicited a few excited squeals from the girls. A couple of them started jumping up and down, and the bodyguard/bouncer had to tell them to stop or they’d have to leave. That calmed them down a bit, but not by a lot. Most of his band members didn’t really like talking to fans, especially when they were backstage. They didn’t want to deal with crazed fans after a show. But Luka always greeted fans backstage or in public. He would do impromptu signatures all the time, just to make them smile. He couldn’t stand the idea of disappointing the people who got him to where he was today. Sure he worked hard to get here, but without his fans he’d be playing for no one, and he wanted his music to be heard by the world.

He signed their passes and one girl asked him to sign her forehead, which he hesitated but eventually obliged. When they were gone, he went to sit down on one of the couches backstage. He always felt a sort of high after a show, like he was weightless and could fly if he wanted to. There was nothing more he wanted in life, except maybe one thing. A second chance. 

He sat there for a few minutes thinking to himself. Marinette. She often popped into his thoughts. He wondered what she was doing now, after high school. Did she follow her passion? That was one of the things he loved about her, her drive to fulfill her dream, and her drive to help everyone around her. She was Paris’ real hero. His sister Juleka had told him some things about what Marinette was up to these days, but even she didn’t know much. It seems the Fashion Designer didn’t have much time for status updates these days. He could understand that, being too busy with his own schedule to keep track of what everyone else is doing. 

“Hey Luka! We’re all going out drinking with these pretty ladies we just met! You wanna come?” Drew, one of his band members called out to him, before playfully biting the ear of a redhead that was clinging to him. Luka inwardly cringed. He enjoyed a drink once in a while, but he didn’t like going drinking with his bandmates, especially Drew. Somehow he always managed to turn a fun night out with the guys into us getting banned from several department stores in the area. 

“Nah I’m good, I’m gonna head home and work on a new song. See you guys at practice tomorrow! Have fun!” Luka smiled and waved, to which Drew groaned and yelled “BUZZKILL” before walking out with everyone else, his arm around the redhead’s shoulders. 

Luka stood up, said goodnight to everyone backstage and headed out the door. He walked to his car, pulled out his key to unlock the door and got inside. He turned the car on and looked at the clock. It read 9:04 PM. He plugged his phone into his car radio and started his “Inspiration Playlist” and started the drive home. He was head bobbing to a song when his car started ringing. His sister was calling him. He tapped on the screen to answer it and kept driving. “Hey Jules, what’s up?”

“Not too much, just enduring Rose’s excitement.” He could hear some faint screaming in the background. He laughed “What is it this time? Did she find proof of existing Unicorns? Again?” 

Juleka snickered. “Alya’s putting together a little reunion for all of us, since it’s been so long since we’ve all seen each other. And Rose is…. Very excited.” More screaming and something made of glass shattering followed by a “Oops! Sorry!” could be heard. 

“A reunion? Like a school reunion? Who’s all gonna be there?”

“Um, well not sure yet, it’s kind of an impromptu thing I guess. Alya posted a picture and tagged a bunch of us in it saying we’re all invited. I think you’re invited too cause you’re in the picture she tagged but since you still don’t have an account even though I keep telling you to make one… but yeah, uh, it’s that picture we all took on mom’s boat after Kitty Section had it’s first flawless rehearsal. Remember? Alya decided to make it a memory and took a picture of us all, Mylene and Marinette were there too.”

He almost swerved and ran a red light but hit his breaks just in time. Marinette? She was invited? He smiled to himself, wondering how she was, and thinking of all the stuff they could catch up on if he saw her there. Sure he wanted to see his other friends too, but he always regretted how things ended with Marinette. Sure, he was devastated that she was in love with someone else, but he never wanted to stop being her friend. Life just got in the way. He could hear a car honking behind him, and he realized the light had turned green and he didn’t realize. He isn’t usually this spacey. He started driving again, getting close to his apartment, and remembered he was still on the phone. 

“Ooh that sounds cool, are you going?” 

“I don’t think Rose would let me stay home even if I tried.” Luka laughed.

“I think I can probably make it too, the band’s kind of going on hiatus while we write some more songs. When is it again?” 

“In two weeks, also Mylene just posted that she’s going to be going, I’ll go ahead and say you’re coming too.” Then some yelling from the background “LUKA’S GOING?! HELL YEAH!!” 

“Did you limit her sugar intake today?” 

“She’s sneaky, she finds candy in the weirdest places sometimes.”

Luka laughed “Well I’m about home now so I’ll talk to you later Jules.”

“Later.”

He hung up right as he pulled into his parking space. He unhooked his phone and stayed sat in the car for a few minutes, thinking to himself. I might get to see Marinette again, for the first time in years. He smiled to himself, but that smile instantly shrunk as other thoughts entered his brain. What if she hates me, or can’t stand to look at me after I told her I loved her. What if… she was with someone else? What if it was the same guy she rejected me for? He didn’t know if he could bare to see her happy with someone else. Usually, he loved seeing his friends being happy, but this was something different. He never stopped loving her in all these years apart. He just knew that someone as kind hearted as her could never stop being amazing. He just hoped she wanted to see him as much as he wanted to see her.


	3. Ladybug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the amazing feedback! I hope you all enjoy the rest of the story as I update it! :D

Speeding across the rooftops of Paris as Ladybug never got old for her. It just was a shame that with this incredible feeling of power and freedom also came another villain trying to ruin the lives of every Parisian, not to mention trying to steal hers and Cat Noir’s Miraculous’. This time it was a store clerk who got blamed for a customer stealing a necklace, and he was chasing down the thief to prove his innocence. It all sounds normal, except that the akumatized victim was throwing explosive pieces of jewelry at anyone who got in his way, which then trapped whoever he struck in a metal cage behind bars, even innocent bystanders. 

“It’s a good thing I kept my ‘get out of jail free’ card, M’lady!” Cat Noir being his usually catty self, trying to make light of the situation. 

“We don’t have time for jokes Cat Noir! We have to figure out where his akuma is!” Ladybug sometimes grew tired of Cat Noir’s antics, but she figured if she was the level headed one, there had to be some balance with Cat’s ability to lighten to mood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About 30 minutes later, the usual happened and they defeated the villain, released the akuma and saved Paris once again. After they helped the akumatized victim back to his place of work, Ladybug was about to head off since she was about to transform back when Cat Noir grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked back at him to tell him she had to go, but he started to talk before she could.

“M’lady, I know you have to go, but I wanted to ask you something. Do you want to hang out sometime, as friends? I know you don’t have eyes for me like I do for you, beautiful, but I really miss talking to you when we aren’t saving Paris from a disaster.” He gave me the biggest sweetest smile that he knew was impossible to resist. She thought about it for a second, and figured she kind of missed just being Ladybug when she didn’t have to save Paris, so why not?

“Sure Cat, that sounds like fun.” 

“Awesome! How about tonight?”

“Okay, but I really have to go now.” The blinking of her earrings bringing her to reality. She smiled at Cat and leapt away towards her dorm, and transformed back behind a wall where no one else could see her before walking upstairs to her dorm. When she got inside and saw no one else was home, she reached in her purse and gave Tikki a cookie, who happily indulged. She then sat down at her desk to look at her homework she was working on when she had to transform into Ladybug. Between being a superhero and being in fashion design school, she didn’t know if she really should be going to this reunion in a few days. She really missed all of her friends, especially Alya who she texted daily and video chatted, but she hasn’t seen her in person in years. She always wanted to visit her during summer break but she felt like she needed to get ahead of everyone else so she spent her summer vacations working on more designs. Alya was making a name for herself too, she went to an 18 month long camp for aspiring video directors, and has now taken the Ladyblog to the next level. She posts weekly videos on Youtube, some would say she has a conspiracy theory channel. Some of her video titles include “Who are Ladybug and Cat Noir REALLY?” and “Does Cat Noir go CRAZY for catnip?” and “Ladybug has SECRET bug wings!” They’re all pretty click-baity, because she has no proof for any of these claims but they’re still fun to watch and she’s gotten a pretty large following, even people from other parts of the world have tuned in to watch her channel. Marinette was proud of her friend, and she missed her a lot. 

She sat and stared at her notebook for quite some time, having lost her inspiration she had earlier before she was interrupted. She decided to stop for tonight, since this wasn’t due for another few months. Closing her notebook, she decided to open her laptop and check out what her friends were up to. She looked back at the post Alya made over a week ago about the reunion, and reread the comment Juleka made about Luka coming. Over a week had passed since then, and Marinettes nerves still hadn’t calmed down. What was she going to do when she saw him? Should she ignore him as to not create any drama, or would that come off as rude and create more drama than she wanted? She didn’t know what to do. She was just glad Adrien wasn’t invited, Alya knew better than to invite him after what he did. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, sighing heavily as her thoughts filled with the boy she once loved, Adrien Agreste. What a fool she had been as a kid, to love him, to trust him. She shook her head, deciding she didn’t want to think of him tonight. She didn’t want to ruin her excitement for this reunion by letting that asshole invade her thoughts. She had already asked for extensions for some of her assignments since she would be away from classes for a few days for this reunion, which was taking place over a long weekend. 

Marinette opened her eyes and looked at the time. She had been sitting there in her thoughts for so long, it was already getting pretty late, and she remembered she was supposed to meet up with Cat. She got up from her chair and Tikki was ready, so she transformed quickly into Ladybug and went off to the area she and Cat usually meet at when they aren’t pressed for time and saving Paris. 

She stood on the rooftop of the building, looking up at the stars. She leaned on the railing for balance, and the shining stars in the sky reminded her of all of the candles Cat Noir had set up for their impromptu date she never made it to. This was the same rooftop that happened on. She always felt bad for playing with Cat’s feelings like that, because she couldn’t return his feelings. He probably felt just like she did when… no. She wasn’t going to let him make her feel bad anymore. She wasn’t going to give him another thought, he didn’t deserve it, or her. Sighing, she looked down at the streets of Paris, watching all the civilians going about their night, walking along the sidewalks, taking pictures of the beautiful night sky, most being couples who looked like they were deeply in love. Maybe one day she would have something like that, real love. 

Her eyes widened when she saw the back of someone’s very familiar head. Black with teal tips. Luka? What was he doing here? Her heart started to flutter, wondering if she should go talk to him, but then remembered she was Ladybug right now and that probably wouldn’t be the best idea. She started contemplating transforming back just so she could go talk to him, when the man turned around and she could see that it wasn’t Luka, just someone with the same hair as him. She shook her head, what was she thinking? Transforming back just to talk to him? What if Cat Noir saw her, or anyone else down below! I wonder why I felt so inclined to talk to Luka? Is it because I haven’t seen him in years and the reunion is only a few days away? She couldn’t question herself any longer because Cat Noir finally turned up and landed on the roof behind her. 

“It’s about time kitty, I thought you wanted to hang out and talk.” She said sarcastically, but her tone could be mistaken for annoyance. She turned around and placed her hands sassily on her hips and gave him a smirk to show she wasn’t actually angry. 

He smiled at her and bowed respectfully but also playfully at her. “I know and I’m sorry for keeping you waiting M’lady. I do sincerely apologize.” He gave her that award winning smile he had and it made her laugh. He walked over to stand next to her and looked out over the railing at all of Paris with her. He was about to comment on the beautiful scene of the city of lights when he looked to her and saw her troubled expression. He wondered what could be causing her to be feeling so down. 

“Is everything alright M’lady?” He gave her a look that said “I’m here if you need to talk about it.”

She looked at him in shock, wondering how he knew, not realizing she wasn’t doing a very good job at hiding her feelings. She sighed and closed her eyes,facing down at the streets. Should she confess what was stressing her out, or would it give too much away? She would just be careful not to include too many details, because she felt she needed to get this off her chest, and maybe Cat could offer some advice that Tikki couldn’t. 

“I just… how do you manage it all Cat? Being a superhero and managing your regular life on top of having adult responsibilities? Sometimes it all just seems like too much…” She took a deep breath. “Between superhero work and my schooling, I haven’t had any time to see my friends, and I’m afraid that one in particular is too far gone and I ruined any chance of us ever being friends again..” A small tear was forming in her eye when she felt strong arms wrap around her. Cat held her close and let her cry and vent her feelings. When he felt like she was done for the time being he let go and looked her straight in the eyes. 

“I know it’s hard Ladybug, but whoever chose us knew we could handle it. You’re the strongest most down to earth person I know, and because of that I know the real you would never let a friendship fail. If you really want something, you make it happen, so I have full confidence that everything will work out for you.” He gave her a genuine smile. 

His words of encouragement woke up something in Ladybug. He was right! She needed to stop moping and stressing about her life and take control of it. She was Ladybug for crying out loud! She saves Paris alongside Cat Noir on a weekly basis and she was worrying about having too much homework to spend time with her friends? It was time she stopped letting everything around her suffocate her, and just enjoy her life. She was still young and she wanted to see her friends again. She wanted to see Luka again, she wanted to tell him how sorry she was, and try being friends again. If he rejected her, it would be hard but she had to try. 

“Thanks Cat, I really needed to hear that.” She smiled back at him and then they both continued to look out over Paris, and continued to talk about various things, careful not to give too much away. Cat told her he was planning on doing something similar, righting a wrong he made and asking for a second chance at friendship from a girl he treated poorly and took for granted. Ladybug reassured him with his own encouraging words that he could do it if he tried. 

A couple hours went by and the night was closing in so they decided to call it a night and head back to their regular lives. Marinette knew her roommates were going to be gone like most nights so she just went straight into her window and transformed back. She gave Tikki another cookie and flopped down on her bed, but instead of a stressed and tired frown she wore a hopeful smile. This reunion is going to be so much fun, and I’m going to finally talk to Luka again! I can’t wait.


	4. The perfect gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This is a bit of a silly and fun chapter because I felt like Luka was always portrayed so seriously in the show, and needed a bit of a silly side to go with Marinettes crazy side XD hope you enjoy!

Two weeks had gone by and the day was finally here. Luka had just finished taking a shower and was getting dressed when he looked at the time on his phone. It was 7:26 AM. The reunion wasn’t starting until 4 PM but he wanted to get a head start because he had a long drive ahead of him, plus he had a surprise planned for Marinette. It wasn’t a big surprise or anything, but he’d thought about it over the last two weeks and figured he needed something extra special to make up for lost time and for what happened between them when they were kids. So he was going to get her the most beautiful and perfect blue flowers to match her sparkling ocean blue eyes he never got tired of looking at. He already had a list of flower shops along the way he would be checking out. He needed them to be fresh, so he had to get them the morning of or else they wouldn’t be good enough. He wanted them to be perfect for Marinette, she deserved only the best. 

He put on his jacket and shoes and headed out the door. Getting in his car, he put in the address to the first flower shop into his car’s GPS and was on his way. About forty five minutes later he arrived at the first shop. He walked in and was immediately overwhelmed by the wonderful flower aroma. Roses, peonies, daisies, carnations, there was practically every flower in here and it was beautiful. 

“Hello sir! Can I help you find anything?” A very friendly salesperson greeted him with an upbeat and cheerful voice very similar to Rose’s voice. 

“Uh yeah actually, I’m looking for flowers for a… friend.”

“Alright, what kind are you looking for? A certain color perhaps? What’s the occasion?” 

“Well I’m going to a school reunion and there’s this girl, she’s the most amazing girl… and she has the most amazing cerulean eyes.. And I wanted to give her some flowers to match… you know as a friendly gesture.” He coughed as he came back from his thoughts and felt himself blush. The clerk giggled and smiled at him. 

“Well, we have a great assortment of beautiful blue flowers, I’ll bring some out so you can look at them all, for your ‘friend’” He could have sworn he saw her wink when she said that last word. He waited about ten minutes before she came back from the back room with an array of blue flowers. She displayed them all so he could really analyze each flower. He took his time inspecting each flower, the scents, the pigment, the price. After a few minutes he sighed and turned to look at the sales clerk apologetically. 

“I’m sorry, thank you so much for you help but I don’t think any of these will do.” He hated that none of these flowers were the perfect one. He knew when he saw the perfect flower though, he’d know it. None of these were it. He saw her face sink, like she felt it was her fault he didn’t find what he was looking for. He quickly assured her otherwise. “It wasn’t anything you did, it’s just this girl, she deserves the best most perfect flowers to match her eyes and none of these are that perfect flower. I hope you understand.” He tried to give her an encouraging smile and it worked since she smiled back, though he wasn’t sure if it was a fake smile or not. 

“Well I hope you find the perfect flower for her. She sounds really special if you’d go through all of this to get flowers for her.” 

He smiled and thanked her again for all of her help before leaving the store. “Well, at least I've got five other stores on my list, at least one of them has to have the perfect flower, right?” He got into his car and input the next address and was on his way again. 

The second flower shop had even less to choose from than the last, and the clerk was pretty rude. She seemed more interested in updating her Snapchat stories than helping him, so he had to look around the store himself for every blue flower, which took him close to an hour and he still didn’t find the perfect flower. He left that store more annoyed than when he entered, got in his car and sighed as he looked back at his list. He only had 4 left, what if they didn’t have the right flower either? This wasn’t part of the plan. He was supposed to find the perfect flower for Marinette, get a bouquet of them and give them to her at the reunion as an apology for letting things get to where they are now. He was going to tell her he wanted to try again, be her friend, be there for her when she needed him. He just wanted her in his life again. But he hadn’t found the right flowers yet. What was he going to do if he never found them?

He had to keep trying! He looked at the time and it was already almost 11 AM, he only had five hours left until the reunion! He quickly input the next location and was off. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The next 3 locations were also a bust, they had some very pretty flowers and even though Luka was running out of options and time at this point, he had come this far to get the perfect flower. He wasn’t going to give up now and accept a sub-par flower. He still had one more store left and he had a really good feeling about it. He remembered seeing pictures on their website and the flowers they showcased looked the most promising of the six he wrote down. 

As he pulled into the parking lot of the last store on the way to the reunion, he looked at the store front and his heart sank. Instead of “Wisteria’s Garden” the sign read “Gus’s Auto Parts.” No, it couldn’t be. He looked at the address again and double, triple checked that he was in the right place. He got out of the car because he thought maybe they were in the back or something. He looked around and didn’t see any sign of a flower shop being here. One of the auto shop workers who was out in the garage working on a car noticed the confusion on Luka’s face and spoke up. “Hey you there! You looking for an oil change?” 

Luka startled a bit when the man yelled over to him and he shook his head. “No, I’m actually looking for a place called ‘Wisteria’s Garden’ have you heard of it?” 

The man scratched his head as he thought, when suddenly he remembered. “Oh that flower shop?” Luka’s face filled with hope before the man continued “Yeah that place closed down, my boss bought it from them and now it’s ‘Gus’s Auto Shop’!” He spoke proudly and Luka’s face fell. It closed down? But it didn’t say that on the website! He hated when people didn’t update their websites. He sighed and thanked the man for his help and hopelessly got back into his car. He sat there for a few minutes, not sure what to do next. What was he going to do now? He was out of options, there were no more flower shops between here and the reunion. He buried his head in his hands and leaned against the steering wheel, trying to think of what to do. When he finally lifted his head up he stared straight ahead, not really looking at anything in particular, when his eyes focused on something. Flowers. Flowers! There were flowers in a little patch of grass in front of his car. How could he be so stupid! Flowers grow naturally! He didn’t have to go to a flower shop to get flowers, he could find the perfect flower himself! He immediately turned on his ignition and started down the highway again, looking around for any sign of a park or nature trail. 

“There you are!” he exclaimed to himself as he spotted a sign for a nature trail and turned into it. He parked and quickly got out, almost catching himself on his seat belt before bolting down the trail. He got stopped by an official telling him there was no running allowed on the trail. He apologized and told them he would be more careful, and walked by them at a normal pace until he was out of their site and started sprinting again.

When he reached an area of the trail that had an abundance of colorful flowers he slowed down to look at each of them. It felt like he had walked a mile through this trail and he still hadn’t found the perfect flower. He sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead, his bangs sticking to his forehead. He kept looking around him, not realizing he had gone off the trail in his search for the perfect flower and tripped over a tree root. He face planted into the dirt and started spitting out leaves and mud as he sat up. He wiped some mud from around his eyes and when he could open his eyes again he stared in shock. Right before him, was the perfect flower!

He blinked a few hundred times before crawling onto his hands and knees to move closer to the patch of beautiful blue flowers. He had no idea what kind of flower they were, all he knew was that he had finally found the perfect flower for Marinette. He quickly picked the best of the bunch and had a pretty decent amount of the flowers when he finally stood up and looked around him for the trail. That’s funny. He didn’t remember going off the trail. He was starting to panic a bit when he kept walking and it seemed he was getting more lost in the trees and bushes. He tried calling out to see if anyone was nearby or could hear him but he never got any response. 

“What if I can’t find my way out of here?” He questioned to himself. He pulled out his phone to see what time it was and his phone was dead. Great. Lost in the woods with no phone. He also suddenly felt like he had a head cold coming on. With a stuffy nose, no phone and a bouquet of wild flowers, Luka set off to try and find the trail again. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he knew he was getting really tired of nature. He couldn’t count the number of times a squirrel rustling in the bushes made him scream like a little boy. 

Quite some time later, he finally saw some people walking along and he rushed in their direction and to his amazement he found the trail. Finally! He walked over to the people walking, not knowing how beat up he looked, having walked through bushes and tree branches, also having come across poison oak leaves without realizing it his skin was incredibly red and scratched up. He asked them if they could point him in the direction of the beginning of the trail, and with worried expressions they pointed him in the right direction, watching him speed off in the direction they gave him. 

He slowed down when he reached the two officials that stopped him running when he went in and didn’t notice their concerned expressions when they saw him, and walked to his car. He got in, and sat back in his seat exhausted. He smiled when he looked at the flowers still intact. “You are for a very special girl, and I’m sure she’s going to love you.” He decided to lay the flowers down on the passenger seat since he didn’t have anywhere else to put them. He just hoped they made it in one piece to the reunion. 

On the way there, he started to feel the effects of his cold even moreso and couldn’t stop sneezing. He also felt really itchy for some reason he didn’t know why. Maybe he got bit by some bugs in the forest. So driving, scratching and blowing his nose, he finally made it to the reunion. He looked at the clock on his dashboard and saw that it was almost 5 PM. He was incredibly late.He just hoped Marinette was still there. He started pulling into the parking lot, when he felt a big sneeze coming on. He tried to hold it back as he was pulling in but he couldn’t. He let out a huge sneeze and didn’t see a car that was pulling out. He almost collided with them but they both were able to slam on their brakes in time. He looked on in shock at what almost happened, but greatful that no one got hurt. He leaned his head out of the window to apologize to whoever he almost ran into. They seemed to be okay with it and just glad nothing happened. They drove off and Luka finally parked. He looked on at the school building, which was out since it was the weekend, and couldn’t wait to finally see Marinette again after 10 years. He unbuckled from his seat belt and turned to grab the flowers when he was filled with dread. The flowers! In the panic to not crash into that car, the flowers he had laying on the passenger seat went flying forwards. He frantically started picking them up from the floor, many petals falling off in the process. When he finally collected them all, they were all sad, limp and missing a lot of their beautiful petals. He wanted to throw them out of the window and just go home and forget today ever happened, but he took a deep breath and calmed down. He didn’t want to get akumatized again. He decided to just suck it up and go through with the plan anyway. It couldn’t get any worse, right?


	5. The Reunion

“Heyyyy girl! So glad you could make it!” Alya said as she came over to hug Marinette. She hugged back happily, truly realizing how much she missed her. 

“Me too! I really needed to take a break and see all of you guys!” She smiled and waved at everyone else who had shown up. Her smile faltered slightly when she didn’t see Luka, but not enough that anyone noticed. It was still early right? He could still be on his way. 

“Uhh yeah! Girl you’ve been turning into an introverted loner like Gabriel Agreste! We never see you online anymore, you’ll have to show us all your sick designs!” Alya exclaimed with a huge smile as she wrapped her arm around Marinette's shoulders like old times. 

Marinette giggled at that comparison. “Well Gabriel Agreste is still an amazing designer, so he got something right at least.”

“He got more than one thing right as young Marinette would say” She nudged her friend and winked “Remember when you were obsessed with his son? You worshipped the ground that he walked on!” She laughed but then stopped when she saw Marinettes face drop. “Hey girl, what’s wrong? I was only teasing.” 

“Oh no I’m totally fine!” Marinette tried to put on her best fake smile. “Hey let’s go see everyone else!” She had to change the subject. She never told anyone, not even Alya, what happened with her and Adrien. She never wanted to. She knew if she did, he would be outcast, his friends wouldn’t speak to him, Nino would probably have to take Alya’s side in it which would be Marinette’s side, it would just change too much. She hated what he did to her, but she didn’t want his social life ruined forever. She didn’t want him to lose all of his friends. It felt wrong to lie to her friends, it was eating her up inside, but she had to. She had no other choice.   
Alya smiled at her, knowing something was up but not to pry. “Sure girl.” They linked arms and walked over to the group and sat down. They all talked and chatted for a bit, each telling everyone what they were up to now. Juleka and Rose were living together in a college dorm and by the looks of it, couldn’t be happier. Mylene and Ivan were also still going strong, they had some issues with going to different universities, broke up for a short period but that just made them miss each other even more. They looked incredibly happy together. It just goes to show, if you eat Andre’s ice cream together, you’ll be together and happy forever. 

~~~~~~~~

Almost an hour had passed, not that she felt the time go by while she talked to her friends, but she noticed when she checked her phone. It was almost 5. Where was Luka? She hoped he was okay. She turned and was about to ask Juleka if she knew anything or if she could call Luka, when she saw the look on her face. It was that signature “Don’t look behind you, there’s a flesh eating monster behind you” look. Then everyone else started to have to same look, looking behind Marinette. Oh god, what was behind her? Was it a robber? Another villain? An axe murderer in the middle of the day? She took a deep breath and slowly looked behind her. 

“Luka? What happened to you?!” Alya yelled from next to her as she got up and jogged over to him. He was in a sorry state. He had red blotches all over his forearms and hands, his clothes looked scratched up and dirty, he looked like he had been sweating a lot with how his bangs stuck to his forehead, and he was carrying what looked to be dead blue flowers. They were floppy and petals were falling off as he walked forward. 

Marinette looked at him in worry. What happened to him? Did he get mugged or beat up? No, he didn’t have any bruises that she could see, he just looked like he just finished climbing a mountain or two. She didn’t even realize she had got up from her seat and was now standing in front of Luka while he tried to explain to Alya he was fine. 

When he looked to Marinette, her heart started to flutter. It was beating so hard and fast she was sure it was about to pop right out of her chest. “Hello M-m-m-marinette.” He smiled his genuine Luka smile as he unknowingly made Marinette melt into a puddle right there on the ground in front of him. Hearing him say her name like that brought back so many amazing memories of when they were kids and just a little bit smitten. 

She giggled and blushed. “Hi Luka! It’s good to see you! Well, I mean, not good to see you like this, I mean, you look a little, I mean, are you okay?” She struggled but she finally got there, as was the norm when she used to talk to Luka. It had still been easier talking to Luka than it was talking to Adrien. Something about Luka just made her… comfortable. Like she could say, do or be anything and he’d never judge her or tell her she was wrong. She had felt safe around him, and she still did, but she also hadn’t seen him in years so talking would take a little practice.

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Oh uhh, nothing I uhh just..” He sighed in defeat. He couldn’t salvage this. He had messed up. “I uhh, got these for you. I’m sorry they’re in such terrible shape, you don’t have to take them, I just wanted to get you these to say sorry for everything that happened between us. I never wanted our friendship to drift apart the way it did.” Alya could tell this was her cue to leave and join the others and leave these two alone. 

Marinette stared at the sorry state of flowers Luka was holding. Was this why he looked so beat up? Did he go searching for wild flowers to give to her? It would explain the red blotches on his arms he kept trying to sneakily scratch, and his torn up and dirty clothes. She smiled warmly at them, then looked back up at him. He did all of that just to bring her flowers? Why? Why would he go through all of that just for her? 

“Thank you Luka! These are beautiful!” She exclaimed happily. He smiled back and handed them to her, but right before her hand touched them as she reached to grab them, Luka suddenly let out a huge sneeze right into the flowers. It was such a powerful sneeze, his head had dipped down into the bouquet of flowers, making the remaining flowers bend beyond repair and lose their remaining petals until they were just broken stems. The look of horror on his face was genuine to him but pretty adorable to Marinette. 

She giggled while he apologized a million times. “It’s okay Luka. They were beautiful, thank you for getting those for me, but you’re sick, you need to rest.” He unwillingly proved her point by sneezing again, not quite as powerful this time. He sighed in defeat and was about to say goodbye and head home and regret fucking this up for the rest of his life before Marinette spoke up “I can drive you to my dorm. It’s closer and my roommates aren’t home. We can pick you up some medicine on the way there. I wouldn’t want you to have to go all the way back home an miss the rest of the reunion. You can rest and recuperate at my place for today and see how you feel tomorrow, does that sound good?” She felt like she didn’t even know how her body decided to make her voice say those things. Having Luka in her room?! What was she thinking?! She hasn’t seen him in 10 years and one of the first things she does is invite him to her room?! She didn’t have time to stress over it because the next thing Luka said was “If you don’t mind that is? I don’t want to intrude or anything. I am a bit too drowsy to drive home now that I think about it.” He smiled nervously. 

Well there was no getting out of it now, not that she really wanted to, she was just incredibly nervous. She wasn’t sure why, he was just sick and needed to take a nap and some medicine. She just wanted to help him feel better, he was her friend, right? She smiled and turned around to the rest of the group. “Hey! Guys! Luka isn’t feeling well So I’m going with him to get some medicine and get him some rest! Sorry! We might be back tomorrow, not sure yet! Byeee!” She waved at them and they did the same, all yelling to Luka that they hope he feels better. 

They both walked to her car and got in. He realized he still had the stems in his hand and was about to toss them on the ground when she stopped him. “Can I keep them?” she asked. The look on his face was close to bewilderment. “Why would you want these? They’re just stems, they have no more petals.That’s what makes flowers beautiful.” He sighed, looking down at them sadly. She smiled and reached for them. “No, it’s the gesture that makes them beautiful. You got these for me, so I want to keep them to remind me of that, and how wonderful a person you are Luka.” He let go of them and she took them, smiling down at them in her hand. “I’ll never forget what you did to get these.” He was about to object and say he didn’t do anything crazy when he realized, he did go a little overboard. He looked down at his sorry state and they both laughed as they got into the car. She set the stems down in the back seat and started driving to the nearest pharmacy. 

~~~~~~~

After they finished getting some cream for his rashes and cold medicine, they were on their way to her dorm. She was getting more nervous as time went by and they got closer to their destination. But he kept making small talk which distracted her from it. They talked about their lives now and what they were up to, similar to what she did with the rest of her friends an hour earlier but here it was just the two of them, talking and getting to know each other all over again. 

She pulled into her designated parking space and they got out and she saw a look of amazement on Luka’s face. “What?” she asked, not knowing what he couldn’t possibly be looking at. 

“Are you not seeing what I’m seeing? Look at this place! It’s amazing! I’ve never seen a university this grand and amazing! It must cost a fortune to go here.” He exclaimed. She laughed as she realized the charm of this place wore off as her wonderment at it was replaced with stress. 

“I guess it is huh? I guess I’ve lived here long enough I don’t notice it anymore. And yeah it is but... “ She rubbed the back of her neck nervously, blushing in embarrassment. “I sort of got an all paid scholarship.”

She didn’t know what she was expecting, but she sure wasn’t expecting the response that came out of Luka’s mouth. “Well of course you did. You’re Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you’re the most amazing, creative, inspiring and driven person I know. We may not have talked much in a few years, but I know you, and I know that you would do anything in your power to achieve your dream. I know you worked incredibly hard to get into this school, and that means you’re going to achieve great things in the future. You’re going to graduate and become the most famous designer in all of Paris, no, in the whole world!” He exclaimed enthusiastically and genuinely. She felt a tear in her eye threatening to fall down but she willed it not to. Instead she just gave him a huge warm smile. 

“Thank you for saying that Luka, really. That means a lot to me.” 

He smiled back and they walked together into the dormitories to the 3rd floor where her room was. She didn’t notice but a bunch of the other girls in the dormitories were looking at her and whispering to each other when they saw Luka. It seems Marinette doesn’t really have company over, or ever, let alone a guy. 

They stepped in and she set the bag of medicine on her desk. Like most college dorms, it was a pretty cramped space even with 3 people living in it. They each had their own desk, bed, and what you could consider a closet but is really just a small hole in the wall with a pole to hang clothes on. There was no tv or coffee table or kitchen, they did however get lucky and got the only dorm in the whole building with its own bathroom. This room apparently used to belong to Chloe Bourgeois who demanded her room be renovated to have a bathroom and shower. She didn’t last long in classes though, her daddy bought her way into the school but he couldn't buy her grades. 

“Well this is it, it’s small but it works. We have a bathroom if you need to use it, you can take a shower if you want. We don’t have food here we have to go to the common room for that. But yeah, you should take your medicine, and it’ll probably make you feel pretty drowsy so you can rest in my bed if you want, we don’t have a couch so yeah…” She trailed off, not knowing what to say next as she fiddled with her thumbs. 

He smiled at her nervous composure, feeling a little bit better about his own nerves about being here. He figured he should probably take a shower after what he’d just been through. “Uh well if you don’t mind, I may take a shower. I probably stink, don’t want you having to smell me like this.” He chuckled and blushed. 

Her eyes widened slightly but she got her composure together. “Uhh yeah right! Of course! Hahaha! I wouldn’t want to be smelling you, I mean! Not like, I mean, after you showered I’d like to smell you! I mean! Agh no! That’s not what I meant! Uuugh!” She buried her face in her hands and she felt his hand on her back. She heard him laughing. 

“I understand Marinette, it’s okay. You don’t need to feel nervous around me. I know it’s been a while, and there’s a lot to talk about, but you can be yourself around me. You can tell me anything and I’ll never judge you, unless you tell me you’re actually Hawk Moth, but I highly doubt that. You’re more like Ladybug, always helping everyone around her. You didn’t need to help me out today but you did, and for that I thank you.” He lifted her chin to meet his eyes and he smiled warmly at her. Their faces were so close she almost forgot how to breath. She felt like she was staring into his turquoise eyes for hours, which had only been a few seconds before he pulled away. She felt a bit saddened by the sudden distance between them, but she didn’t know why. Maybe because she hadn’t seen him in years, being so close was nice and having it taken away made her feel… empty. He walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. She smiled when she heard a huge sneeze as soon as he closed the door. 

She went to go sit at her desk and Tikki flew out of her little pink purse. She had a look of disapproval on her face but didn’t say anything at first. She just crossed her stubs which could be considered arms and stared at Marinette with a look that could kill. 

“What Tikki? He’s sick I had to help him! He’s my friend.” 

“What if you have to transform into Ladybug Marinette? He can’t stay here, you have to kee-”

“Keep my identity a secret, I know Tikki, I’ve been doing this for over 10 years. Don’t you think I know by now how to be careful? If I have to transform, Luka won’t find out, I promise.” Marinette made a fist at Tikki, who sighed and smiled at Marinette, putting her stump of an arm up against Marinette's fist, like a fist bump. 

“I trust you Marinette, I just want to make sure you keep your head out of the clouds. The closer he gets to you, the more in danger he’ll be if he finds out the truth.” 

“I knoooow Tikki, I’m just helping him out. Didn’t you see him? He went through a forest looking for a flower to give to me. I couldn’t just send him home like that.” Marinette sat back in her chair and smiled, thinking to herself how much that meant to her. She couldn’t believe he went through all of that. Did this mean something? Did he… care for her.. As more than a friend? No that’s ridiculous. But… could it be possible? She looked down at the stems, and panicked when they weren’t sitting on her desk with the bag of medicine. Where were they?! 

“Tikki, do you see them? The stems? Luka got those for me I can’t lose them!” Marinette was frantically looking around her room for them when Tikki floated in front of her face to stop her. 

“Marinette, you just left them in the car.” Marinette let out an exasperated and relieved sigh. Thank god! She’d never forgive herself if she lost those, after all he did. 

“Thank you Tikki!” Marinette grabbed her purse which Tikki flew into and ran back downstairs to her car to retrieve the stems. 

~~~~~~

Luka’s Perspective

As the remnants of Luka’s adventure flowed down the shower drain out of sight, he stood under the hot water stream and got lost in his thoughts. He was in Marinette's room, granted she shared it with two other roommates from the looks of it, but she had invited him to her room. He felt a sense of pride and accomplishment at that fact. Perhaps she didn’t have any hard feelings against him, and maybe this meant she felt comfortable enough around him to have him in her private space. He wondered if she let anyone else in here, like a boyfriend? Was he just one of many to enter this room? Maybe it wasn’t special at all. He sighed wistfully and let the water pour down the front of his face. But that moment, right before he went into the bathroom. They were so close. He could have stared into her cerulean eyes for days, months, years, if he hadn’t felt another sneeze coming on. He had to leave fast or he would have sneezed right in her face. He didn’t know what he would have done if that happened. He’d probably walk out of the building in shame, walk all the way back to his car, drive home and never leave his apartment ever again. But he also felt a little regret at having to pull away so fast. Perhaps they would have… no, they wouldn’t have kissed. They’re just friends, at least he hoped they were friends now, even after his failure at trying to give her the perfect gift. 

He finished cleaning himself and got out of the shower. He furiously rubbed the towel on his head trying to dry his hair, making it look wild in the process. He then wrapped the towel around his waist and slowly opened the door, calling out to Marinette to make sure she wasn’t changing or anything. 

“Marinette? I just want to make sure you aren’t changing or anything. Also, I hope you don’t mind, but I like to air dry when I shower so is it alright if I just wear a towel while I dry off? If it makes you uncomfortable I can put my clothes on.” He waited a few seconds and no response. “Marinette?” He peeked his head out a little bit more and looked around the small room and to his dismay, Marinette was nowhere to be seen. 

He stepped out of the bathroom in only his towel and wondered where she could have gone. Maybe she went to get food? Or maybe she just didn’t want to hang around here all day with him when he’s sick. If it was the latter he was going to be sad, but he understood. He wouldn’t wanna hang out with him when he’s sick either. He walked over to Marinette's desk which had his medicine on it, when he noticed her sketch book was open. It had a bunch of sketches on it, which looked to be all part of a collection. Shoes, belts, earrings, and a beautiful dress. He didn’t know much about fashion, or anything at all really, but he’s seen Marinette’s work before. She used to make costumes for Kitty Section. He could tell just by looking at the drawings that she would be able to turn them into something even more beautiful in person. He was so enthralled by Marinette's drawings, that he didn’t hear her come back inside. He did however, hear her shocked gasp and looked up to see her covering her eyes with her hands.

“Uhh, I’m sorry! You’re not dressed! I’ll just uhhh…” She started to backstep out of her room when he walked over and grabbed her arm to stop her. 

“You don’t have to leave Marinette. If it makes you uncomfortable I can go back into the bathroom and change, I just prefer to let myself air dry.” He smiled at her as she pulled her hand away from her eyes and once again stared at him from such a close distance. They stared into each other for what felt like a long time before Marinette’s cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink and she said “Oh uhh no, I don’t mind at all! Whatever makes you feel more at home and comfortable.” She smiled at him in her adorable way she does. 

He smiled and let go of her arm and they walked back into the room after she shut the door behind her. He noticed she had the stems in her hand. Is that why she left? To go back and get the stems? He inwardly smiled to himself, she went back down just to get those? That made him kind of happy. He was so incredibly happy in fact, that he had made it to this point. This is all he ever wanted, a second chance at being Marinette’s friend. 

“I hope you don’t mind, but I looked at your notebook.” Luka told her, watching her face change from relaxed to mortified in the span of seconds. He chucked at her reaction. “Marinette, you’re incredible! Those drawings, I mean I’m no fashion God, but you’re going to be big, more than big you’re gonna be huge!” He naturally grabbed onto her shoulders to drive home what he was telling her so she’d believe him. He gave her an encouraging smile. “I always knew you’d follow your dream and do great things, and I still believe that. You’re amazing Marinette.” He stared into her bright blue eyes as if entranced, like he couldn’t look away. He didn’t even notice he how close he was to her, and how much closer he was getting with every second that passed. He was centimeters away from her face when he saw her eyes shift down uncomfortably, and he realized what he was doing. How could he be this stupid? Here he was, trying to show Marinette what an amazing person and artist she is, while also trying to kiss her when he’s only got a towel on! She must feel so uncomfortable right now. He cleared his throat and backed away, and she looked up at him with wide eyes as if she were surprised, but spoke up to clear the awkward silence now filling the room. 

“Thank you, so much Luka. Your were always so kind to me and encouraging when we were younger. I remember… that day… when I was feeling like a failure, like I couldn’t do it.” Her eyes dropped to the ground between us as she remembered that day. He remembered it too. She had texted him asking if they could meet somewhere to talk, and he happily agreed because he always had enjoyed spending time with Marinette. When they met up though, she immediately started crying. He had wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him as she sobbed, soaking his shirt but he didn’t mind. He had let her cry for a few minutes before she finally stopped and told him what had happened. She had overslept and was late to a very important event where she would have presented a design to Gabriel Agreste, and whoever won his approval would be recommended to IFA Paris. In her rush to get there in time, she forgot her design at home, and when she got there, she was disqualified since she didn’t have anything to show. He had held her close to him and rubbed her head, trying to comfort her and calm her down. He told her that it didn’t matter, because he believed she was an amazing designer and even if this didn’t work out, she didn’t need a recommendation from Gabriel Agreste to get in, she would get in by her incredible designs all on their own. Nothing had made him happier than seeing the smile appear on her face that day, and seeing the smile on her face now made him even happier. 

“I was just telling you the truth, that’s all.” He smiled at her and her cheeks flushed in return. He walked over to sit on her bed and she followed and sat next to him. His nose wiggled, preparing for a sneeze, but it passed. He sniffled and frowned. “I hope this cold goes away soon, I hate being sick. And this rash too.” He said, scratching his forearms. Marinette giggled and he looked at her in confusion. 

“Luka, you’re not sick. Those flowers you picked were poisonous. Touching them will give you side effects similar to a head cold. And I’m guessing the rash is because you walked into poison ivy.” She smiled awkwardly, and laughed at his bewildered face. What she didn’t know was what Luka was screaming in his head.

I GOT MARINETTE POISONOUS FLOWERS?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long to post everyone! I've been busy with work, but I hope you enjoy!


	6. Questions

After Luka had internally calmed down from his new realization that he had accidentally given poisonous flowers to Marinette, they both had a bit of a laughing fit. It reminded him of how close they once used to be. With red faces and the sound of inhaling air they both lacked, they both finally stopped laughing and just smiled at each other for a bit. He could have stared at her for hours without getting bored, but decided it would be better to start talking about something. 

“So, M-m-m-marinette” He said as he watched her cheeks turn even more red. “What have you been up to? I mean, obviously you made it into IFA which was your dream, but what else has been going on in the life of Marinette?” He gave her his award winning smile which usually made all his fans go weak at the knees. 

“Well, honestly not all that much. I’ve been a liiiiiittle… antisocial the last few years.” She blushed even more and turned her head in embarrassment. “I’ve just been so focused on school, on making it through but not just that, making a great impression. I want to leave this school having made beautiful designs that are unique to me, that no one else could replicate. I want to make a name for myself, and graduate knowing I earned it. You know what I mean?” She asked him, hoping someone else would understand her dedication to school. 

“I know exactly what you mean Marinette.” Her face lit up at his response. “I’ve been dedicated to my music since I was 14. It’s been my entire life since then.” He didn’t tell the whole truth there, since Marinette was definitely a big part of Lukas life but she didn’t need to know that. “And if I hadn’t put in so much work and dedication into my music, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” He smiled reassuringly at her and she returned it, but also gave him an inquisitive look. 

“And where is that?”

“Ah,” It as his turn to blush. “I’m sort of the lead guitarist in a band, well not any band, the new Kitty Section.” He smiled awkwardly to compliment his pink cheeks but was surprised to feel Marinette elbow him in the side. “Ow! What was that for?” He exclaimed in a joking voice. 

“How come you never told me you were in a band? Well I mean, you were in one before, but like, a legit band?! Like you play on stage and have concerts and stuff? Do you have groupies? Do you sign peoples butts? That was a weird thing to say wasn’t it… oh! Do fans throw roses at you on stage? Do you have meet ups with fans? What kind of songs do you play? Wha-” Her ramblings were cut off by Luka placing a finger over her lips and she stared at him while he chuckled lightly. Once she calmed down and took a few breaths, she nodded that she was good and he removed his finger from her lips. 

“Well, to answer a few of your hundred questions,” He winked at her and she blushed. “No we don’t have groupies, yes we have fans, no they don’t throw things, yes we have meet ups, and I’ve never had to sign a butt, but I’ll let you know if that ever happens.” They both laughed at that last part. 

“I’d love to see you play someday.” She smiled sincerely at him and it made his heart flutter. Having Marinette at one of his concerts? That would be amazing! But also nerve wracking…

“I’ll send you a ticket for our next concert.” He smiled but was freaking out on the inside at the thought of her seeing him play. Sure he’d played in front of her countless times when they were younger, and he was never one to shy away from that sort of thing. He played for her the day they met, it was his way of expressing himself. It made him feel more confident to play than to use words. But over the years as Marinette became more important to him, he always feared he would mess up and she’d be out of his life for good. That’s why he went through so much trouble to get her those flowers, even though they were poisonous. What if he messed up so bad on stage she regretted coming to see him play and grew distant with him again? No, that was ridiculous. Marinette wasn’t like that, she wouldn’t stop talking to him just because of that, right?

He was awoken from his thoughts by a pair of skinny arms wrapping around him. She gave him a big, tight hug in gratitude. “Oh thank you Luka! I can’t wait!” She pulled away too soon and smiled at him, before the realization hit her. “Oh! Oops sorry! I kind of forgot you were…” She coughed and eyed the towel around his waist before blushing. He laughed “It’s okay Marinette, I don’t mind.” He ended his sentence with a yawn and she giggled. 

“You should probably rest.” 

“But I wanna keep talking to you.” He whined playfully and gave her the famous puppy dog eyes but she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.. “How about I lay down and we keep talking and if I fall asleep then you win.” He tried to compromise.

She couldn’t resist those eyes so she reluctantly agreed. He smiled and laid down on his back on her bed, starting to feel the sleepiness of the drugs kicking in. He liked the feel of her bed, it was soft and comfy and warm. He closed his eyes and imagined what Marinette looked like when she slept in this bed. Probably like a beautiful sleeping angel. 

He didn’t know how long they talked for before he inevitably passed out. 

Marinettes Perspective

Marinette looked over to see Luka had fallen asleep. She watched his bare chest rise and fall with each breath, then looked at his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, and so cute. She blushed at her own thoughts and decided to get up to place her blanket over him, since she didn’t want him to get cold, but also so she could stop staring at his chest. She smiled as she tucked him in and then went to sit at her desk. She noticed the page her sketchbook was open to and smiled. He liked my designs. It made her heart flutter and she didn’t know why. 

Then suddenly, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Luka is sleeping in my bed… in just a bath towel… She blushed a deep red as she panicked in her head. What do I do?? Do I leave? Do I stay? She didn’t know how to deal with this situation. She’d never had a guy sleep over before, especially when he’s practically naked in her bed! She started to hyperventilate before Tikki came to the rescue. She floated from her pink purse and told Marinette to take deep breaths and calm down. 

“Marinette, what’s wrong?” Tikki asked but when all she was met with was a finger pointing behind her shoulder to the guy in her bed, she nodded in understanding. “Oooh, that’s what’s wrong.”

“Tikki, I’ve never been in this kind of situation before. What do I do??” Marinette started to freak out again quietly.

“I’ve never been in this situation before either Marinette. But I know who would know what to do. Alya, you should call her and see what she thinks.”

“That is… a great idea Tikki! What would I do without you?” 

“You’d probably be rocking back and forth on the floor by now.” Tikki joked and giggled when she received a smile from Marinette.

She grabbed her little pink bag and stepped outside her door and closed it behind her. She then sat on the floor next to the door and pulled out her phone to video call Alya. 

“Hey girl! You heading back yet?” Alya asked, obviously wanting to see her best friend she hadn’t seen in months. 

“Ah, not yet Alya. Luka still isn’t feeling well but hopefully tomorrow. I uh, actually needed to talk to you about something.” Alya understood and she stepped away from everyone else to talk to Marinette alone. 

“Okay, what’s up?” Alya asked in concern. 

“Um, well,” Marinette lowered her voice so no one walking by might hear her. “Luka’s sleeping in my bed… and he’s only got a bath towel on... “ She didn’t know what she expected from Alya, but she definitely didn’t expect her to laugh. 

“Really? And what exactly does that mean Marinette? Are you going to seduce him in his sleep?” She laughed even louder and Marinette widened her eyes in shock at what her friend said. 

“Alya! Of course not!” Though Alya kept laughing at Marinette’s awkwardness. 

After she calmed down a bit, she asked her a little more seriously. “Well, do you like him?” 

Marinette didn’t know how to answer that question. Did she like him? I mean, they hadn’t talked in 10 years, but talking to him today made it feel like that 10 year gap didn’t make any difference. It felt as though they were picking up where they left off as easy as if they hadn’t talked for just a day. But it still had been 10 years, and the last time they talked, well, she hadn’t exactly returned his feelings then. 

“Hey, Alya, what would you think if a guy got you flowers? Would you think of it as a friendly gesture of more of a romantic gesture?” 

“Avoiding the question I see. Well, I guess it depends on who’s giving them to you and for what occasion. For example, if Nino gave me flowers it would be romantic since we’re dating. But if my dad gave me flowers it obviously wouldn’t be. Depends on the occasion too, sometimes flowers are customary for certain things.” 

“What if a friend gave you flowers for no reason? And what if that friend went through a forest and got sick just to find you those flowers?” Marinette interjected. 

Alya smiled. “Well, I’d say that’s pretty romantic. Most people don’t go through that much trouble for just a friend.” She winked at Marinette. 

She blushed at her friends answer. Romantic? Does Luka… no… he couldn’t still have feelings for her. Could he? 

“Thank’s Alya, I just needed to talk to someone. Clear my head and all. I’ll try to make it back tomorrow. I miss you guys. Have fun!” They hung up and Marinette was left with more questions than before she called Alya.

What did the flowers mean? Was it really just his way of trying to be her friend again, or did he have other intentions? Did he still care for her in that way? Did she care for him in that way? She had to admit he had crossed her mind a few times in the time they were apart, but it was mostly to wonder what he was up to, and if she ruined things forever with him by turning him down all those years ago. Could it be that he still hadn’t given up on her and was still trying to win her affection? She was giving herself a headache thinking about it. 

She got up from her spot on the floor and quietly opened her door again. Luka was still fast asleep. She walked back into her room and shut her door quietly. She set her bag back down on her desk and walked over to where Luka was sleeping on her bed. He had moved a bit since she last looked at him and he was on his side facing away from her. The blanket she had laid on him had fallen down a bit and some of his back was exposed. She noticed a tattoo she’d never seen before. It was a sequence of musical notes, but she didn’t know how to read music to know what the notes were. Apparently they were important enough for him to get a tattoo of them. Perhaps they’re the notes of the first song he ever wrote? She yawned as she thought about it. She was starting to get a little tired watching him sleep so peacefully, and having given herself a headache worrying about all the ‘what if’s’. She kind of wanted to take a nap but her bed was taken and she couldn’t sleep on her roommates beds, that would be rude. She contemplated what she should do when another yawn came over her. She eyed her bed with Luka in it. It was big enough for two people to sleep in… should she? Would he find it weird? Another yawn and her thoughts became too complicated to comprehend as she grew more sleepy. She found herself crawling into the empty space on her bed next to Luka, careful not to wake him up. She was too sleepy to care about whatever consequences she may face later for doing this. She pulled the rest of her blanket over her and she quickly fell asleep next to Luka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting a chapter in so long!! Hope you like this one! :)


	7. Destiny

She was flying through the sky, the stars twinkling above Paris. She would never get used to this feeling, the rush she felt when she was Ladybug. When she was Ladybug she felt like she could do literally anything she dreamed. She could save the people she cared about. 

As she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, she heard commotion from below. Jumping to a lower platform, she saw what was happening. It seemed someone was holding a little impromptu concert for some passersby, or maybe they were just trying to make some quick cash. Either way, she couldn’t help but listen to the beautiful song sung by such a talented voice. She thought she recognized the voice but couldn’t quite place it. She could hear an acoustic guitar playing the most stunning melody she’d ever heard. 

And I’ve always been right here, waiting for you  
Waiting for you to be ready to try something new  
Something new, with me  
Something new, but I know you’re not ready  
So I’ll wait, I’ll be here.  
I know you, you’re my hero, you’re our hero,  
Even if you don’t know it yet.  
But I’ll be here, when you’re ready, to try something new  
With me.

The lyrics felt so personal and real it gave her chills. Who’s voice was that? She leapt down a little bit more to get a better view of the singer and froze when she saw who it was. Luka? It was definitely Luka singing in the middle of a small crowd of people who gathered when they heard his incredible singing. He really does have an incredible voice. She was so captivated by his song, she didn’t notice one man in the crowd. One man who was wearing a hood. One man who hid in the shadows. One man who had his hands in his hoodle. One man who pulled out a gun, aimed it at Luka, and pulled the trigger. 

“Marinette! Wake up!” Marinette woke up in a cold sweat, her wide open eyes slowly adjusting to her surroundings, and realizing she wasn’t out on the Paris streets, but in her room, in her bed. Luka! She quickly looked to her left and saw Luka was sound asleep next to her. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a dream, a dream gone horribly wrong. Now that she had figured out where she was, she started to panic when she saw Tikki hovering in plain sight.

“Tikki! What are you doing?!” Marinette returned in a hushed whisper. “What if Luka sees you?” She tried to hide Tikki in her hands but she wriggled her way out in annoyance.

“Marinette, we need to go! The city is under attack, Hawk Moth must have akumatized another victim. He must have decided to do it in the middle of the night thinking you wouldn’t be able to stop him. Hurry! Before he sees!” Tikki exclaimed as quietly as she could with as much urgency as she could manage. 

Marinette looked at the time and it read 3:04 AM. Why did Hawk Moth have to attack at such an ungodly hour? She carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake Luka but panicked when he stirred a little. He stayed asleep though and she let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She grabbed her little pink purse off her desk and Tikki quickly flew inside and she ran outside to a safe place where she could transform. Once she found a nice secluded place, she let Tikki out and yelled “Tikki, spots on!”

~~~~~~~

She barely made it behind a column before she transformed back. “Well that took longer than expected.” She commented to Tikki who just giggled. 

“Well, you never know how difficult a task is going to be until you do it, but I always have faith that you’ll figure out what to do.” She smiled adorably at Marinette as she gave her a cookie to regain her strength. Marinette smiled back and pat her tiny head with her finger. 

“Thank’s Tikki.” 

She started to walk back to her dorm and noticed the time. It was about half past 4 in the morning now, the sky wasn’t even awake yet. She made it to the building and started walking up the stairs to her room. Before she entered, she very slowly and quietly opened her door to make sure not to wake Luka if he was still sleeping. She peeked her head in and saw he was still asleep so she slowly walked in and shut the door behind her. Apparently she closed it a little bit too hard because Luka suddenly stirred and woke up. 

“Hey m-m-mari-” his greeting was interrupted by a yawn and he chuckled. He sat up in bed and the covers fell down so she could see his bare chest again. She felt the room suddenly get 50 degrees hotter. 

“Good morning, sort of, how did you sleep? Are you feeling any better? Or are you feeling worse? I can take you to a doctor if you need to, or a pharmacy to get different medicine if that’s what you need. Or I could drive you home if you want to rest at home I’d understand. I’m rambling again aren’t I? I’m gonna stop now.” Marinette blushed at her rant and Luka chuckled. 

“You definitely haven’t changed Marinette.” He gave her a smile, which was returned with a look of disappointment. “No no, I don’t mean it in the sense that you haven’t changed at all, you’ve grown so much and accomplished more than I could ever dream of. You’re definitely not the same girl I met in school. Not to say that’s a bad thing, you were amazing before and you’re even more amazing now. I’m… just gonna stop talking.” It was her turn to laugh at his rambling on. He smiled as he watched her laugh. Then when the laughter subsided, he looked down at his current state. “I should probably get dressed.” 

“Ah yes, I’m sure you’re dried off now, and maybe a little cold. Probably best to get dressed.” Marinette agreed while twiddling her fingers and looking in any direction except his. He understood how uncomfortable she was and didn’t want to make her feel that way any longer so he stepped into the bathroom to change. 

He came back out in his clothes from yesterday, not feeling the freshest since his clothes were still dirty from his flower hunting escapade. 

They both sat on her bed and talked more for the next few hours, not even feeling the time pass by, not until Marinette’s stomach growled. 

Luka giggled. “Come on, I’ll buy you breakfast. It’s the least I can do to thank my own personal nurse.” He winked at Marinette which earned him a punch on his shoulder. “Ow! You’re pretty strong for your size. Ow! Stop it!” She struck him again and they both laughed as they headed out the door. 

“There’s a nice little bakery just down the block I like to go to sometimes, I think you’ll like it.” She suggested and he agreed. 

They walked down the block together, the sun finally making its appearance in the sky. She glanced up at him and saw the way the sunlight danced on his jet black hair and teal tips. It sparkled like the ocean. He turned to catch her staring at him and she quickly moved her gave to the front of her, hoping he didn’t notice. She didn’t see him smile at her before they reached their destination. 

“Here we are, Moniqua’s Macaroons.” She smiled and they walked into the bakery together. It had a very cute looking decor, it looked as if a 50’s diner and a little girls pink bedroom had merged together. Vintage yet cutesy. They had a display case full of macaroons, muffins, chocolate covered strawberries, you name it. She could practically feel the drool dripping down her mouth. 

“Welcome to Moniqua’s, how can I help you?” A cheerful girl behind the counter greeted us. She had long light pink hair that seemed to go down past her butt, and the way she did her make up made her look like a doll. 

“Um, can I get a blueberry muffin and a strawberry macaroon please?” Marinette asked and she girl took her order. She then turned to Luka and suddenly had a very different expression and approach to how she took Marinette’s order.

“And how about you, cutie? What sweet treat would you like to eat?” She asked, leaning over the counter in such a way to expose her cleavage to him. She didn’t understand why, but this enraged her. She absolutely hated that this random girl was trying to flirt with Luka! She can’t flirt with Luka, no one can! She didn’t understand why she felt so much conviction about this but she did. She hated the way this girl was looking at him, like he was her prey and she was about to devour him into her cleavage like a black hole. 

Luka, however, was unphased by all of the things unfolding in front of him and in Marinettes head. He was looking up at the menu on the wall and decided to order a coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. The girl had a look of disappointment when her plan didn’t work and she sighed loudly before taking his order and then told us to sit at a table and she would bring our food out. 

They went to sit at a table by a window and Luka was still oblivious to the anger that raged inside Marinette. How rude was that girl? I can’t stand people like that. She shook her head to rid her of her murderous thoughts and Luka looked at her in confusion. “Everything okay Marinette?” 

“Yeah of course, everything’s perfectly fine. Just hungry is all!” She smiled, trying to play it cool, when the girl came up to the table with their food. She practically dropped Marinette’s food in front of her, but delicately placed Luka’s down in front of him, leaning into the table yet again to try to show off. 

“Can I get you anything else, sir?” She asked Luka in an almost sultry and seductive tone of voice. She fluttered her eyelashes at him, but he wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at Marinette, who was giving eye daggers to the girl. He didn’t know what was going on, maybe she had a bad history with this girl but didn’t want to push it. 

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” He answered the girl without looking at her, and she huffed and walked back to the counter. 

Marinette’s anger lessoned when she turned to look at Luka and saw he had been looking at her the whole time, which to her surprise made her feel a lot better. She smiled at him and he returned it with one of his own. “I remember your parents owned a bakery kind of like this one, do they still own it?” 

“Yeah, they would never get rid of the bakery, it’s their life, besides me” She giggled and took a bite of her muffin. She noticed Luka was still just watching her, and it made her self conscious to be eating while he’s looking at her like that. 

“You’re a sweet girl who loves sweet things, Marinette.” He giggled when she almost choked on her food at that comment, her cheeks turning a bright pink color. 

“And you’re a… creamy guy who likes cream cheese bagels. Oh my god, did I really just say that? Please tell me I didn’t just say that! That’s not what I meant! Uhh..” Marinette hung her head in shame before letting her forehead fall onto the table while she could hear Luka crack up laughing. She perked her head up to look at him and he couldn’t stop laughing. 

“You’re hilarious Marinette! I haven’t laughed like this in, well, 10 years probably.” While his laughter slowly subsided and he caught his breath, she lifted her head and smiled at him. 

“Well I’m glad I could give you that joy, laughter is a necessity I feel.” She remarked, and giggled. They just stared at each other, smiles on their faces, for what seemed like an eternity when Marinette’s phone started going off. The sound startled both of them and she reached in her bag to answer her phone. It was Alya, probably calling to see if we were gonna meet up today. She pressed the green button and then hit speaker phone. 

“Hey girl! Are you heading back today with your flower boy?” Marinette squealed and hurriedly turned off speaker phone while Luka chuckled in the background. 

“Uh, yeah I think so, let me ask.” She pulled the phone away from her ear. “Are you feeling up to going back to the reunion or are you still not feeling great? I can drive you home if you need me to.”   
“I’m actually feeling a whole lot better, you were right, resting really helped a lot.” He said with a smile. 

“Looks like he’s feeling better, we’ll be there soon!” She hung up and finished up her food while he finished his. They both got up from the table and walked over to the counter to pay. She pulled out money from her purse but he stopped her.

“I told you I’d buy you breakfast, put your money away.” 

She looked at him in shock. “You were being serious? You really don’t have to do that, I can pay.”

“I want to, after all you helped me feel a ton better, plus I owe you after giving you poisonous flowers.” He cringed at the memory of that and she smiled at him. 

“I love them.” He blushed back at her before pulling out his wallet and paying. The girl had given up trying to get his attention at this point, and instead was giving Marinette a dirty look that said “You’re not good enough for him.” Marinette gave her a look right back that said “Too bad cause he’s mine.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to express that to this girl, even without words, since he wasn’t her anything except her friend. But then she suddenly thought back to her dream, and how much heartbreak and fear and anguish she had felt in the span of a second before she was woken up. She didn’t want to ever imagine losing Luka in any way, shape or form. It was too painful. 

~~~~~~

An hour later, they’re back at the school and everyone is gathered for the second and last day of the reunion. 

“You really looked like you’d been through hell and back Luka.” Juleka commented to her brother who shrugged in agreement. 

“Yeah! What was all that about anyway? Did you get attacked by a bear?!” Rose shrieked, her eyes wide and focused on Luka waiting for his response. 

Luka just laughed and said “I didn’t get attacked by anything other than poisonous plant life, but I’m fine now, Marinette really took care of me.” He threw a smile in her direction which earned him two rosey cheeks. “I’ll be right back guys, gotta take care of some business.” He exclaimed as he walked off to the public restroom. 

They all sat, laughed and talked about everything going on in their lives for a while until Alya stood up and exclaimed her idea. “I think we should all play truth or dare! What do you guys think?” A few people sounded excited for it while others looked more nervous or bored with the idea, but the ‘yays’ out-weighed the ‘nays.’ “Alright, who wants to go first?” Everyone was silent, no one wanted to go first. Alya sighed in exasperation. “Alright then, since no one wants to go I’ll go. Marinette! Truth or dare?” She smiled excitedly at Marinette, eager for her answer. 

Marinette giggled and shrugged. “Uhh, truth.” Alya rested her fingers on her chin and looked up in contemplation, trying to look philosophical. After about a minute of her doing this Rose chimed in with “Come on Alya!” She made her “I have an idea” face and turned to Marinette. The look she was giving was scaring Marinette a little, she had no idea what her friend was planning. 

“Tell us the truth, you have feelings for Luka don’t you?” 

Suddenly, Marinette couldn’t hear anything, none of her surroundings, it was all just white noise. She couldn’t see anything either, just a blank space, she was surrounded by nothingness. A void. A black hole. She was being suffocated by the darkness, the emptiness, the feeling of dread. She didn’t know how she ended up here. She couldn’t find her way out. She was trapped in dark, empty nothingness. 

Then, she heard something faint, a voice. A low, quiet voice. Calling her name.   
Marinette.  
She had to follow it, follow the voice out of the darkness.  
Marinette.  
The voice was getting easier to understand, she could feel herself slipping out of the darkness. She could see the light. 

“Marinette, are you okay? You’re looking a little pale?”

Marinette woke up from her trance to find all of her friends staring at her with worried faces. Alya had a look that said sorry. She turned to her right and saw Luka, who she remembered now left to go to the bathroom. He must have come back at some point and she never noticed. He was looking at her with concern. She blinked her eyes a few times to bring herself back to reality. What just happened? Alya had asked her a question. She asked her if she liked Luka, then she blacked out, or something like that. 

“Y-yeah I’m fine, think I just got random vertigo. I’m fine.” She said, to ease Luka’s worries. You have feelings for Luka don’t you? Hearing the question again in her brain she froze up, but fixed herself before she went back to that place. She needed to come up with an idea to distract everyone, so they would all stop focusing on her. “Hey, I’m in the mood for ice cream! And we all haven’t had Andres ice cream in years! How about we track him down?” She suggested, and to her delight everyone seemed to like that idea. She breathed a small sigh of relief as she stood up, but then looked at Luka, who was looking at her with a look that said “I’m not buying it.” She quickly looked away and started to walk forward quickly to escape his gaze. When she was far enough away, Alya swooped in next to Marinette until she was close enough to talk to her without everyone else hearing. 

“I’m sooo sorry girl, if I had known you’d react like that I wouldn’t have asked. I don’t know what I was thinking, can you forgive me?” She gave her a look that would make war veterans shed a tear. Marinette smiled and gave her friend a hug while they walked. 

“It’s all good Alya, I’m fine, really.” Though she wasn’t so sure of that herself. She didn’t know why she went to that place, and she definitely didn’t want to go back. And that question, it was burned in her brain. You have feelings for Luka don’t you? Did she have feelings for Luka? She definitely thought of him as a good friend, but she hadn’t really thought about dating anyone for a long time. She didn’t really have time for that sort of thing with her busy school schedule. She had to admit, he was incredibly good looking. The years were very kind to him. But they only just started talking again, what if he was over her, that was 10 years ago. Maybe he… already has someone he loves. The thought made her sad, but she didn’t know why. She shook her head to get out of her own thoughts as they all walked together through the streets of Paris in search of the mysterious Andre. 

“He’s parked by the Louvre! Someone just posted about it! Come on!” Rose squealed as she ran off in that direction, dragging an unenthused but willing Juleka behind her. Everyone giggled at them, and things were starting to feel normal for Marinette again. 

About 20 minutes later they had finally arrived at the Louvre and spotted Andres ice cream cart. They all eagerly walked over to it, to be greeted by the warmest of smiles from him. “My my! I never thought I’d see all of you again! What a treat this is! And you’re all still together and happy I see! Andre never fails!” He chuckled to himself, puffing his chest high while each of the couples in our group blushed, holding the other tight. 

“We missed you Andre! And we missed your delicious ice cream too!” Rose exclaimed happily. 

“Of course of course! Get in line everyone, Andre will get your ice cream right away.” Everyone lined up, but Marinette was pulled aside by someone. She looked to see it was Luka. 

“Everything okay Luka?” She looked up at him in concern. 

“You’re asking me? I have no idea what happened in the last hour, but It feels like I did something wrong even though I was in the bathroom then when I came back you immediately tried to get away from me. Maybe I’m overthinking this, which I never do, but if I did something wrong, can you tell me so I can make it right?” He looked at her with pleading eyes. 

She hadn’t realized how she treated Luka back there, she was just so concerned with getting out of there and taking the focus off of herself, she didn’t pay attention to how she basically ran away from Luka. She tried to remember why she ran away to begin with. She definitely didn’t want to be away from him, she liked talking to him and being near him. She definitely didn’t want to make him feel like she was upset with him. 

“You really don’t have to do this Luka, I’m fine, I’m not upset or mad or anything. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just…” She had to come up with an excuse fast. “Girl stuff… if you know what I mean.” She cringed inwardly at what she just said, and cringed even harder when she saw his reaction. 

“Ooooh, I see. I understand. I have a sister so I totally get all of that stuff. I won’t push it. Thank you for being honest with me about it though Marinette. I’m sorry if I made you feel like you had to tell me that, If you need time to yourself I completely understand.” She felt horrible hearing him thank her for being honest when this was a total lie. But she couldn’t tell him the truth, he’d send her to a psych ward! 

“No! I don’t need time apart, I really wanna hang out with you, I promise. In fact, these cramps are really making me crave ice cream, so how about we get in line?” She smiled up at him, hoping he bought her act. Though, it wasn’t much of an act since she really did want ice cream. 

He smiled and walked with her over to Andres cart. Everyone else had already gotten their ice creams so there wasn’t a line anymore. They stepped up together and Andre gave them a look she couldn’t quite comprehend. 

“Ahh, Marinette you’ve found your songbird at last. I’m so happy for you!”

Marinette’s eyes opened wide and she gasped in shock. “Ahhh, Andre, Luka’s not my songbird, I mean well I guess he does sing, he has a band they sing on stage and everything, so maybe you’re right about the songbird part, but he’s not my songbird! Luka’s just a friend, a really good friend! Haha!” She looked around and all her friends were staring at her, including Andre. 

Luka just smiled and ruffled Marinette’s hair, who grumbled in annoyance. “Yep, Marinette’s a really great friend, and one of the best people in Paris.” He exclaimed out loud, making Marinette blush. 

“That may be true now, but Andre is never wrong. One day, you two will realize your destinies are intertwined. Parisians who share Andre’s ice cream together, stay together.” He said as he handed them both their ice cream cones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while since I last updated the story, but I hope you enjoy this chapter! Here's to a great 2020! :D


	8. Temporary Farewell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back! It's been... a very long time! I'm really sorry about that, but I've got an extra long chapter for all your Lukanette needs during this scary time. We're all bored under quarantine and need some Lukanette in our lives! I'm going to try to post more regularly, but I hope you all enjoy this chapter of Second Chances!

Parisians who share Andre’s ice cream together, stay together.

What Andre had said only a few hours ago kept circling inside Luka’s head. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. He looked at his watch and saw that it was past 1 in the morning. He exasperatingly grumbled while he pressed his hands over his face, laying on a cheap motel bed. Being in a band that tours a lot, he was used to sleeping in uncomfortable places so this was nothing out of the ordinary for him. He closed his eyes, remembering the feel of Marinettes bed, her smooth sheets, her soft duvet. He breathed in, his nose seemed to have a faint memory of the smell, her smell. She smelled like cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. Her presence enveloped his mind, her smile, her bright blue eyes, the way she’d blush when he made her nervous. Those cute, rosey cheeks, and those sweet pink lips… 

He shook his head and opened his eyes wide, staring at the ceiling above him. What are you doing Luka? Snap out of it! Marinette’s just a friend. He had to keep reminding himself of that and bringing himself to reality ever since Andre brought those words into the universe that plagued his mind. He sighed in annoyance. Why do I feel this way? I thought I got over her years ago. He lay in bed, wide awake with no hope of ever getting to sleep, when he heard his phone go off. Who could be texting me this time of night? When he reached to grab his phone off the bedside table, part of him hoped it was Marinette who was texting him. When he unlocked his phone, he was slightly disappointed to see that it was just Alya on the group chat telling everyone how much fun this reunion was. He shut off his screen and set his phone down again. He didn’t really feel like getting into a conversation right now, or else he’d never get to sleep. He started thinking about the events that happened today. Most of the day seemed like kind of a blur, except some parts. He remembered coming back from the bathroom and receiving the cold shoulder from Marinette. He still had no idea why she was acting so weird if she was never mad at him in the first place, but he decided not to dwell on it. He wasn’t the type to overthink things… usually, but for some reason he didn’t fully buy her excuse she had given him, lady problems? She was acting fine all morning, until that moment. He heard his phone go off again but decided to ignore it this time since it was probably just someone in the group chat again. 

He remembered this morning, when they went to get breakfast together. He smiled to himself, thinking of that waitress and how Marinette looked like she was about to tackle this woman like a lioness protecting her cubs. He didn’t understand why Marinette was being so protective of him then, but he wasn’t about to complain. He should have told her that he had no interest in the woman because he never cared for the superficial stuff like looks and beauty, but he admits he was enjoying the not-so-secret mind battle they seemed to be having with each other. 

His phone goes off again and he’s starting to get annoyed but he ignores it still. 

His eyes still closed, he once again contemplates what Andre said to him and Marinette that night. Could it really be true? Does he really bring people together with his ice cream? It’s been a thing he’s said for so many years now, has it been true all this time? After he said those words to them, and gave them their ice cream cones they went to sit together with the rest of the group. Luka had looked at each of the couples eating their ice cream together, they all looked so happy together. He sort of envied them, but he was also happy for them, especially for his sister. Her finding happiness with Rose is all he could hope for as a big brother. 

He recalled the night from a few hours ago.   
“Do you believe that nonsense? No one has magical ice cream that brings people together. I love Andre, but he’s got his head in the clouds. We’re just friends, right Luka?” Marinette looked up at Luka, seeming to search his eyes for an answer. He wasn’t sure why but at the time, it sort of hurt when she said they were just friends. Even though he knew it was the truth and there was nothing wrong with being friends. It’s what he came here to do, yeah he wanted to see his friends and old band members again, but if he was being honest with himself, he really came so he could patch things up with Marinette and be friends again. He always regretted how they left things all those years ago. He sometimes regrets ever asking her out, fearing he ruined things between them, that they could never be friends again because of the awkwardness. But he came here, he saw her, and he achieved what he came here to do which was regain Marinette's friendship, nothing more, nothing less. So why did it hurt so much to hear her call him just a friend? 

BZZZZ! BZZZZ! BZZZZ! His phone started going crazy. “Ugh! Who’s spamming up my phone?” He picked up his phone and opened up the group chat and read what had been going on while he was lost in his thoughts. 

Alya: Hey ya’ll! This reunion turned out super amazing! We should do it again soon, I really missed you all and had such a great time hanging out! Love you all!

Rose: Thanks for setting all this up Alya, it was such a good idea! I had so much fun! So did Jules even if she didn’t act like it.

Mylene: Hehe, it was really fun. Ivan and I had a great time. He only had one regret though. 

Juleka: I don’t share my emotions the same way you do Rose, but yeah I had fun. And what was his regret Mylene? 

Mylene: Well.. don’t tell him I told you guys, but he really wanted to get the old Kitty Section to play one last song together. He was too shy to bring it up and wouldn’t let me bring it up because he wanted to do it. And we all know how that turned out.

Rose: OMG ARE YOU FOR REAL?! THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AMAZING!! I’VE TOTALLY MISSED SHREDDING ON THAT MICROPHONE!!

Juleka: Exhibit A. Also, you don’t shred on a mic you shred on guitar Rose. But yeah, I agree that would have been fun to do one last song. It’s been forever since I last played. 

Rose: OMG CAN WE PLEASE?! WE STILL HAVE TOMORROW MORNING BEFORE WE ALL GO HOME CAN WE PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE?

Rose: CAN WE

Rose: CAN WE????

Rose: PLEEEEEASE?! 

Mylene: I’m sure Ivan would be down, just gotta make sure he doesn’t know I told you. But what about Luka? What if he doesn’t want to? He plays all the time, what if he just wants a break? 

Marinette: Hey guys! Sorry to join in on the conversation so late, but if you do end up doing one last song let me know. I’d love to come see you guys play! 

Juleka: Rose, you need to learn to control your emotions. We’ve talked about this before. 

Luka thought to himself for a minute after reading all of that. One last song? And Marinette wanted to watch us play? He smiled to himself. He hasn’t played in front of Marinette in years. Whenever he used to, he always felt like he was playing for her, and no one else. Just so he could see her smile. He started typing on his phone. 

Luka: I’m in, let’s do this. 

Rose: OMG YASSS LUKA THANK YOU!! THIS IS GONNA BE SO LIT! 

He cringed, but chuckled. Rose was… something. ON something maybe. 

\-------

The sun rose the next morning, and Luka was woken up by more texts blowing up his phone. He sat up in his creaky motel bed, squinting his eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the bright light coming in through the dirty window. Now that it was day time, he could clearly see all the dust particles floating in the air in the room. As he slowly woke up, pieces of the dream he was having started falling back into place in his memory. He remembered a few things, the main part he remembered was that he wasn’t Luka, but he was his ultor ego Viperion. Ladybug had called on him to fight quite a few times after the fight with Desperada, but over the years everyone in the superhero team got their own lives, and Hawkmoth started to grow tired. He doesn’t try as hard as he used to when they were all teenagers. He was sort of grateful for there being less villains in Paris, because he wanted everyone to be safe and he was busy enough as it was. But part of him really did miss being Viperion, fighting alongside Ladybug and Cat Noir, and the rest of the team. 

In his dream he was helping the team defeat another victim who’d been akumatized. “This pretty lady has really really got it in for us!” Cat Noir exclaimed. 

“Yeah well she’s got more of an eye for Marinette! I’m not sure what happened here, but we have to figure out where the Akuma is hiding and make sure to keep Marinette safe!” Ladybug instructed the team, and we all nodded. My dream then shifted to me watching the villain, who called herself Beauty Killer. She was running around Paris, zapping any girl, boy, even animal she saw, turning them into these gross ogre-like monsters. 

“I’ll be the prettiest girl in all of Paris! Luka will go speechless at my beauty, and he’ll forget all about that annoying, bratty girl he was with! Speaking of, where are youuuu Marinetttttte? Come out come out wherever you are!” 

Luka rubbed his temples, a headache growing from his dream reminiscing. He didn’t remember what happened after that, but he can guess that he helped Ladybug and Cat Noir save the day and Marinette, like they usually do. He hadn’t had a dream about villains or superheroes in a long time. He especially hadn’t had any dreams about Marinette until recently. He always thought of her of course, but his subconscious hadn’t really thought of her until the reunion. 

He thought back on that day when he found Marinette outside the park, she was so distraught and overwhelmed and all he wanted to do in that moment was hold her close, wipe away her tears and tell her he was there for her and he would never let her feel like this anymore. He just wanted to protect her, keep her safe. And that’s when he saw a thousand hornets flying straight for them. He could tell they didn’t look like normal hornets, they looked different, more powerful. He didn’t know what was gonna happen, he just wanted to make sure nothing happened to Marinette, and the next thing he knew he was shielding her from them. He couldn’t remember what happened after that, but he just assumed it was another akumatized victim that Ladybug miraculously fixed. 

Not long after that day, they started to grow more distant. Not for any particular reason, they just had their own dreams. Marinette focused on getting into college, and Luka worked really hard on his music career. He regrets not giving more of his time to Marinette back then, but he’s going to make up for it now. 

“I’m gonna play for her tomorrow, and I’m gonna ask her a very important question!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ahh, hi Marinette! Glad you could make it!” Luka stammered out his words. Why was he so nervous? He just saw her yesterday! 

“Hi Luka! I’m really excited! It’s been forever since I’ve seen you play!” She gave him a look that made his heart flutter. He half expected it to fall right out of his chest. 

What he didn’t know was that his cheeks were bright pink, which in turn made her giggle. He smiled at her in return. “Well I’ve gotta get ready now, I hope you enjoy hearing me play, I mean, hearing the band play! Haha” He rubbed the back of his neck as he walked away to the stage on his mother's boat. Why was he so awkward around her now? He used to be so smooth. He used to be able to breath around her. Now it’s like… he’s a babbling baby! He shook his head to regain his composure as he neared his old bandmates. Rose spotted him and waved him over excitedly, which made him calm down and relax. This is a fun time, I’m getting to play with my friends again. 

~~~~

Rose started off the song with a loud scream, like she always used to. It got everyone in the small audience really hyped up. As Luka played his guitar, he couldn’t help but compare right now to his nights on stage during real concerts. The raving fans, never knowing what’s being thrown onto the stage, who who. Sometimes there’s even accidents and people need to be taken out by a stretcher. But they play on to make their fans happy, and give them what they paid for. It felt kind of weird, to be back here on his mother’s boat singing for his friends. It was like he was traveling back in time. It was almost like getting a re-do. Not that he wanted to change where his career was right now, but as he looked out at a certain blue-nette, blue eyed, rosey cheeked girl in the audience with the biggest grin on her face and her hands waving in the air, cheering us on, he couldn’t help but wonder: can someone really go back in time… and fix their mistakes?

They finished up the song and smiled out to their friends who were cheering them on. 

“Woo! You guys were great! It’s like you never stopped!” 

“Yeah! Rock on!” 

They got down from the stage, and after some more praise from everyone, it was the time everyone had been dreading, and secretly putting off by doing this whole impromptu concert in the first place. Saying goodbye. 

Luka strapped his guitar around his torso like old times and walked up to Alya who was being hugged aggressively by Rose. “Hey, Ayla, I just wanted to say it was a really great idea to get everyone together like this. Thanks for doing this.” 

She smiled at him and gave him a lighthearted hug once Rose finally let go. When she was within ears width, she said “I’m just glad you and Marinette got a chance to catch up. She’s really been in a slump, she needs someone like you to help her… live her life. Not work so hard all the time.” She smiled and walked away before Luka could respond. 

Someone like me in her life? What did she mean by that? She couldn’t mean… what he thought, right?

He didn’t have time to dwell on it, because out of the corner of his eye he spotted her. She was talking to Ivan and Mylene, saying her goodbyes to them. She leaned in to give Mylene a hug, only to be crushed by Ivan who decided to pick them both up in a huge hug. They were all laughing when Luka walked over to them. He was looking only at Marinette. 

Mylene could see the tension and decided now was a good time to leave. “Well, I hope we can see you again soon Marinette!” She waved by and dragged Ivan away, who clearly didn’t understand why they left so suddenly. 

Marinette waved bye and then turned to see Luka standing next to her. “Oh! I didn’t even see you there Luka!” She blushed and fiddled with her fingers. She had been dreading this moment all weekend. She knew it would come sooner or later, but it was here now and she didn’t know what to do or say to him. She could say goodbye to all of her friends, but could she say goodbye to Luka? Again? When would they see each other next? Would they drift apart again? She couldn’t imagine that happening again. She looked down at his hands as she played uselessly with them. Then, something she really didn’t expect to hear came out of his mouth. 

“Marinette…. Will you….

Come see me play for real next weekend?!” 

Her eyes widened as she turned her head to him. She didn’t know what she was expecting him to say, but it wasn’t that. Was she disappointed? In fact, no she wasn’t She really did want to see him again. She didn’t want him to say goodbye and they both just go off to their separate lives just like before. It was a small step in the right direction as far as she was concerned. She didn’t really know what she wanted with Luka, all she knew is that she really enjoys spending time with him, and before this reunion, all she could think about was doing better in her fashion skills. But that’s not the case anymore. Now, all she can think about is Luka. 

“I’d absolutely love to! This was great, but I bet seeing you play on a real stage would be amazing!” She gave him a huge smile, desperately trying to hide the criss-crossing emotions going on in her head right now. 

“Awesome! I’ll uhh… text you the details then!” He stammered, trying to contain the blush on his cheeks. They stood there in awkward silence for what felt like an hour but really was just under a minute, before they both simultaneously reached forward to give each other a temporary farewell hug. He wrapped his arms around her small, warm and soft body, and smiled as he felt her short arms wrap around his torso.His cheek was rubbing against her hair which smelled like raspberries. He didn’t want to ever let go. He was content with holding her like this for the rest of his life. But he knew very well, all good things come to an end.


End file.
